Dear visitors,

please be reminded that the National Library is closed during public holidays so it will not be open to the public on the 11th of March. 

The Library’s opening hours are one hour shorter on a day before a public holiday thus our Library will be open until 5:00 pm on the 10th of March.

On 22-25 February the International Vilnius Book Fair, the largest Baltic literary festival, took place at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre LITEXPO.

Are your English skills rusty? Would you like to improve it? Come to the English Discussion Club, which takes place twice a month in the American Space at the National Library of Lithuania.

Dear visitors, please be reminded that the National Library is closed during public holidays so it will not be open to the public on the 16th of February. 

The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania invites you to Henrikas Čerapas’ exhibition “Memorial of Papilė Cooperative Warehouse”.

Mark your calendars for February! Vilnius Jewish Public Library invites you to a short-story book club. Minna Bachman, our intern from New York, will be hosting the book club. The event will start at 6 pm on Mondays (February 12th and 19th).

On 13 February at 11am, we invite you to a lecture on research opportunities in US archives!

Are your English skills rusty? Would you like to improve it? Come to the English Discussion Club, which takes place twice a month in the American Space at the National Library of Lithuania.

We invite you to the exhibition “Binds within binds. Vilnius Bookbinders Guild 20 year anniversary” at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania.

"What's behind these doors?" "How do 11 storage floors fit here?" "Why are we walking in a circle?" Similar recurring questions from visitors inspired to develop an unconventional virtual tour to present the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania from a unique perspective.

We often hear and celebrate the people from all around the world doing the good deeds – philanthropists, patrons, volunteers, stars donating large sums of money or celebrities establishing foundations. We do not have to look far to find examples of good and courageous deeds; our history is full of people who were righteous, but who were forced to act quietly because they were risking not only their own lives but those of their families. These are the Righteous Among the Nations of Lithuania. Their behaviour proved that the only important thing is morals, and that morals have to be stronger than fear. 

The term of office of Professor Dr. Renaldas Gudauskas, the Director General of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, officially concludes on January 15, 2024. By court decision, the appointment of a new leader to assume the position is currently on hold. Therefore, as of January 16, by the decision of the Ministry of Culture, Aidas Sinkevičius, the Deputy Director General for Infrastructure, will temporarily oversee the National Library.

Over the last 200 years, Vilnius has undergone major changes in its political status as well as social and demographic transformations: from a provincial city of the Russian Empire, to an administrative center under German occupation and provincial center of Poland, to the capital of independent and Soviet-occupied Lithuania and finally, to the capital of a EU member state. During this period, the composition of the Vilnius’ population and its identities have experienced many changes, as did the social and cultural picture of the city.

Thursday, 18 January, 6 pm Vilnius Jewish Public Library of Lithuanian National Martynas Mažvydas Library invites you to a virtual Zoom lecture by Dr. Stephen Daniel Arnoff based on his book "About Man and God and Law: The Spiritual Wisdom of Bob Dylan".

I do not believe that the upcoming year will be easier, that we will be exempt from difficult challenges and uncomfortable decisions. However, I do believe that we will enter the New Year more experienced and kinder. So let it be a time for creativity, empathy and courage.

Dear visitors, the National Library is closed on public holidays. On the last working day before the public holiday, namely on the 23^rd and 31^st of December, the library will close one hour earlier. 

What is the difference between celebrating Christmas in America and in Lithuania?

On 27 November the Director General of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, Prof. Dr. Renaldas Gudauskas, and Dr. Jonathan Brent, Executive Director of the Archives of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in New York, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the Antanas Ulpis Humanitarian Award for Contributions to the Development of Relations and Understanding between Lithuania and the Jews.

The “Lithuanian Armed Forces in Photography” contest was established in memory of combat photographer Tadas Dambrauskas. This year marks the 19th iteration, with the original goal of showing the Lithuanian Armed Forces more closely and in different situations – what troops are like during exercises and fests, their experience, training routine, achieving their goals, and the true face of military service.

For the second year running, this autumn saw a visit by the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania to the Central Library of the City of Peterborough, United Kingdom, where on November 14th there was an event dedicated to Lithuanian culture. The visit was arranged by the Lithuanian Publishers’ Association, the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, and the World Lithuanian Community.